Child&#39;s garment with detachable connector strap

ABSTRACT

A sleeveless, vest-like garment intended to be worn by a child has a strap secured to its interior so as to encircle the child&#39;s chest. Buckles on the free ends of the strap are joined to secure the garment about the child. A connector secured to the section of the garment at the child&#39;s back allows one end of a connector strap to be secured to the garment with the other end held by a person accompanying the child.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/724,601 filed Oct. 7, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a vest-like outer garment to be worn by a child and more particularly to such a garment which has a connector for securing a strap to allow restraint of the child.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has been proposed to provide elongated flexible straps or chains which may be secured to a child to prevent the child from wandering in the same way that leashes are provided for pets. These have not been widely adopted because both the child and the accompanying adult find them objectionable. It would be desirable to create an apparatus for use by children which accomplishes the same goal as such leashes in a manner that both the child and adult will find acceptable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore consists of a vest-like garment which may be worn by a child and includes a hook at the rear for joining the garment to one end of an elongated connector strap. The other end of the strap may be held or secured to the body of a person accompanying the child so as to prevent the child from wandering away from the supervisory person.

More particularly, the garment of the present invention is preferably sleeveless and has openings for the child's arms and shoulders, and another opening for the head. The front of the garment terminates in two vertical sections which may be joined by a separable fastener such as snaps, Velcro or the like.

The vest may be formed of a cotton blend or a similar fabric.

A strap of stronger material is stitched or otherwise secured to the interior of the vest so as to circle the body of the child at about the chest. The ends of the strap terminate at buckles or like connectors at the two opposed edges of the forward vest opening.

A hook connector or the like is attached to the center of the strap between the child's shoulder blades, and may open to the rear of the vest through a flap. An elongated connecting strap, preferably about four feet long, has a connector at one end which attaches to the hook. The other end may be held in the hand of the supervisory person or may be attached to the person's belt or the like. The guardian or supervisory person closes the buckle over the front to secure the vest on the child, then clamps the connection strap onto the hook on the back. When the connection strap is removed from the hook, the garment may be worn in a conventional manner by the child.

The vest is preferably decorated with a cartoon character, such as Sponge Bob™, Dora™, Disney™, etc., in bright colors. There may be a pocket in the front of the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention are made apparent by the following detailed description. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a child wearing a vest constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the garment removed from the child; and

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the garment and its secured attaching strap, illustrating a cartoon character decoration on the rear of the vest.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, the vest-like garment 10, constituting the preferred embodiment of the invention, incorporates snaps 12 on opposed sides of vertical front openings 14. In other embodiments of the invention, other separable fasteners such as Velcro strips could be used to join the two edges of the vest together. The vest incorporates arm and shoulder openings 16 and a head opening 18.

A reinforcing strap 20, shown in hidden lines in the figures, is sewn or otherwise secured around the middle of the garment, on the inside, terminating in opposed buckles 22 which extend from the opposed sides of the front openings 12 and may be secured to retain the garment to the child. At the midpoint of the reinforcing strap 20, at the rear of the garment, a buckle 24 is affixed to the strap 20. A downward opening flap 26 of the garment fabric normally overlays the hook and may be secured by Velcro or the like. The outer surface of the flap 26 may be a reflective material for night safety. An elongated connecting strap 28 has a hook at one end that secures to the hook 24. The other end may contain a handle member 30 or a fastener secured to the body of the supervisory person.

One side of the garment is preferably adorned with a multicolored image of a cartoon character 32. The image may alternatively be formed on the front, or both the back and front. The garments may carry various cartoon characters to urge a parent to collect all of them.

The inside of the front of the vest preferably incorporates an identification patch with the child's name and contact information such as phone numbers and addresses for use in the event the child becomes separated from the supervising adult.

The garment can be worn as a normal vest and when the supervisor and the child arrive at crowded environments, such as amusement parks, grocery stores, airports, shopping malls, etc., the connector strap 28 may be joined to the garment to allow the supervisor to maintain close control of the child. 

1. A vest-like garment to be worn by a child and a strap for use by a supervisory person to control a wandering child, comprising: a vest, having a pair of openings for the arms and shoulders, an opening for a head, and a pair of edges extending along the front; separable fasteners for joining the front edges of the garment; a reinforcing strap secured to the interior of the garment and terminating at the two front edges with connecting buckles; a hook secured to the center of the reinforcing strap at the rear of the garment and extending through the rear fabric of the garment; and an elongated connector strap adapted to join to the hook and to be retained by a supervisory person to limit the wanderings of the child.
 2. The garment of claim 1 further including decorative ornamentation secured to the vest.
 3. The garment of claim 1 further including a flap covering the hook from the rear of the vest.
 4. The garment of claim 3 further including a reflective coating on the outer side of the flap. 